Football Fans and Morals – A Thorny Bush, Even for John Terry

It has been an interesting few weeks for Hull City fans. In the immediate aftermath of the salacious scandal that was the John Terry / Wayne Bridge affair, Hull played host to both Chelsea and Manchester City at the KC Stadium. Perfect opportunity for Tigers fans to vocally express their collective feelings on the matter.

With moral outrage from media outlets at deafening levels, Hull supporters provided the first true gage of fan reaction to the scandal. How would they respond? Would they throw their weight behind Wayne Bridge? Would Terry and his off-field shenanigans be honoured with the angry ire many feel he deserves?

Well, yes and no as it turned out. In Hull’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea in early February, John Terry was booed throughout – an England captain fallen from grace in the eye’s of the English public. This, it seemed, was a clear sign that football supporters in England expect a certain behavioural standard from players and indeed national team captains, and indication that crossing the line will bring consequences. Or was it?

On the evidence of Hull City’s next home game four days later – no.

In the Tigers’ 2-1 win over Manchester City, boos reserved for Terry – chief antagonist of this whole sordid soap opera – were not replaced with sympathetic gestures for Wayne Bridge, as one might expect. Instead Bridge was also jeered by fans at the KC Stadium, implying Hull fans have little real sympathy for the man cast as victim of the piece. Personal insults dished out to Bridge at Hull even prompted City boss Roberto Mancini to publicly lament the lack of respect shown his left back.

So are Hull supporters and football fans in general (those not in blue or sky blue camps), behind Team Bridge or Team Terry? Or both? Or neither? Perhaps they’re just as sick of the whole sorry charade as the rest of us, and tired of the ugly way it is being played out in the public eye by a media apparently disgusted, but not disgusted enough not to desperately wring out the story for every single drop possible.

Personally, given the way the story has been reported, I was surprised to learn about Bridge’s booing. English football and society in general likes to imagine itself as inherently built on fair play, and doesn’t look kindly on cheating. Terry being stripped the England captaincy seems to be as much about proving this national moral standard as anything else.

But if Terry’s alleged actions were so despicable to the public that he was heckled into losing the Three Lions armband, it doesn’t quite compute that Bridge was similarly ridiculed.

So what does any lack of compassion for Bridge from Hull supporters and others say about English football fans and their morals?

Maybe it is as simple as this: any potential weakness in an opposing player’s character can and will be exploited by fans seeking to try and bring players down and hinder their team by consequence. And very little is beyond mocking (as various unsavoury chants about Frank Lampard’s deceased mother prove).

The whole issue of football supporters and morals is a wild hornet’s nest anyway. The press largely encouraged us to decry Terry, as they have done recently with others like Tiger Woods, but our own private judgements are always going to be made independently, based on a mixture of what we’ve read, what we believe and our own prejudices.

That’s why even amongst Chelsea fans the kaleidoscope of opinion is wide, ranging from outraged (“He’s a disgrace and I’m ashamed to call him the captain of my club”) to unwaveringly supportive (“ I can’t believe you’re disappointed in him. He’s still our captain, leader and legend”).

Now that Hull fans have had their say how will fans react to Bridge and Terry at other grounds around the country? I suspect in a similar way to those at the KC Stadium. For a variety of reasons, millionaire footballers aren’t looked upon particularly fondly by the modern supporter, whether rightly or wrongly, and an opportunity to stick the proverbial boot in is quite unlikely to be passed up by many a fan, no matter the sensitivity of the issue.

pic courtesy of John Terry’s Barmy Army.

Chelsea, Fan Culture, Hull City, John Terry, Manchester City, Wayne Bridge